Day: February 12, 2009

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission's (MTC) main auditorium in Oakland was standing-room-only  Wednesday for an Allocations Committee meeting where the MTC board debated proposals by staff on how to spend the expected stimulus money when President Obama signs the bill into law.  MTC Executive Director Steve Heminger explained the need to get the discussion started even before Washington made anything final because the deadlines for spending the stimulus money are so tight and the MTC doesn't want to return unspent funds.

Too often, in the struggle for meager financial resources, progressive transportation advocates can become divided -- and the division sometimes leaves bicyclists on one side and transit boosters on the other. Today, Streetsblog Network member blog Cyclelicious makes the case that not only do bikes need transit, transit needs bikes to increase efficiency and ridership, giving the example of Caltrain in the Bay Area:

Transit News Disappointing in Final Stimulus but HSR Gets a Boost (AP via Transport Politic) Transit Takes a $459 Million Hit in State Budget Deal But Will it Pass? (LAT, Ca.Progress Rep.) BART Board to Get Update on Police Oversight Committee (SF Gate) SF Park Rangers Want to Carry Guns and Get Full Law-Enforcement Status … Continued